Jerry Zurek, professor and chairman of the Communication Department at Cabrini College

Amanda led the campus newspaper to new levels technologically and conceptually. Cabrini College has just 2,000 students, but under her editorship the weekly newspaper won an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award, as we like to brag, along with Harvard and Penn.

Between her junior and senior year, she was selected by Rob Curley to work on the WashingtonPost.com site. Of the 13 interns, she was one of two he hired for after college. Why her? She truly understands the changing nature of journalism and has become a leader not just on campus but also at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has produced multimedia packages for the Inquirer that include print stories, soundslides, video and audio.

Although quiet and unassuming, she helped to form a coalition of Eastern Pennsylvania college newspapers to report on issues of social significance. Capitalizing on the Democratic debate in Philadelphia, she secured press passes not just for our newspaper but for all the college media in the coalition. She then got the National Democratic Committee to schedule a meeting with Gov. Howard Dean, the head of the Democratic Party, to discuss issues in the campaign relevant to college-age readers.

Cydney Cappello, former fellow intern for Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive

I met Amanda during our internship together at the Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive. During the three months we spent together, crammed in a room with 12 other interns and our editors, Amanda proved that she was much more than just another journalism student. While all of the other 20-something interns were rowdy and fooling around, Amanda always emitted a professional poise and never took a break from working. She is the most driven person I know and always took the most minuscule story and turned it into a masterpiece.

One of the tasks we had as interns was to cover the local county fair. Every day one or two of us would head out to cover the day's events. I remember another intern recalling how Amanda selflessly helped her out during their day at the fair. The two of them were covering different events and had a tight deadline, but when Amanda forgot her digital recorder and the other girl's camera batteries died, the two interns banded together to get the best story. Amanda selflessly put all journalistic competition aside to help her colleague. Amanda inspires you to work harder and more passionately at everything you do, no matter how small the task.

Liz Brachelli, colleague at The Loquitor

Amanda has stood out from every journalist I know since I first stepped foot in a newsroom with her. When I first worked with Amanda, I was sitting in a newsroom with her that included the advisor, about 15 editors and more than 30 staff writers. At the time, Amanda and I were considered to be a few of the new people on the staff. The adviser asked what could be done to improve the newspaper. All of the staff writers were shy in sharing their ideas because the editors were in the room. Amanda, however, was sure to look our adviser right in the eye and she boldly raised her hand up in the air. Little did I know that those ideas would be the future of the paper. That began the start of her leadership. She inspired other to step up and revamp The Loquitur through her compassion and dedication to deliver the news.

Cathy Yungmann, professor for Cabrini College

Amanda is an amazing storyteller who is comfortable creating in print, video, pictures and graphics. She can quickly pinpoint the meat of every story and find a way to relate it to the reader, viewer and/or user. She is not intimidated or flustered either by obstacles to information or unfamiliar technology. She is the most mature student journalist that I have come across in 25 years of college teaching.

Column: What's so hard about being fair?

Source | The Loquitur
Being fair. Seemingly simple and obvious, yet we are so far from it. From College of New Jersey in Ewing to University of California in La Jolla, students are taking a stand in the fight to make things fair and it's time Cabrini joined them.

Carnival Experience Is a Family Affair

Source | The Washington Post
As the sun sets for the day at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, the rainbow lights of the carnival illuminate the night sky. The smell of hot funnel cake and sugary-pink cotton candy fill the air and draw in crowds to the nightly attraction..

Column: Women can wear the pants too

Source | The Loquitur
Plastered all over prime-time television is Gap's latest catchy ad for their new "Boyfriend Trousers" for women. The ad has the typical Gap look with a white screen, the fresh faces of a couple arguing over pants to the tune of "Anything you can do I can do better…"

Class puts students on track to be lifeguards

Source | Philly.com
With winter officially here, the juniors and seniors at Pennridge High School in Bucks County have summer and the prospects of a lifeguarding job on their minds.